This article is about the emoticon. For the fictional race, see Orz (Star Control)
Orz (sometimes seen as Oro, Or2, On_, Otz, OTL, Sto, Jto,_|￣|○) is a Japanese memetic pictograph (or emoticon) that spawned a subculture in late 2004 in areas such as Japan, China and Taiwan. It illustrates a person facing left and kneeling on the ground: the "o" symbolizes the head, the "r" represents the hands and the body while the "z" shows the legs. People use the pictograph during Internet communication, such as e-mail, IRC, or AIM, to show that they have failed and/or they are in despair. People do not read "orz" phonetically, but spell out the letters.
Orz is associated sometimes with the phrase "nice guy" - that is, the concept of males being rejected for a date by girls they are pursuing with a phrase like "You're a nice guy," "I'd like to be your friend," etc.